Veterans Minister Kwon Oh-eul said Friday he believes Starbucks Korea should face sanctions over a recent controversial marketing campaign. This photo, taken May 26, shows a Starbucks location in downtown Seoul. Photo by Yonhap
Veterans Minister Kwon Oh-eul said Friday he believes Starbucks Korea should face sanctions over the recent controversial marketing campaign associated with the May 18 Gwangju democratization movement, saying it was not the result of an "individual deviation," but a company-level marketing scheme.
Kwon made the remarks as the South Korean operator of Starbucks has come under intense public scrutiny after it launched an online "Tank Day" promotion last week, which many believe referenced the bloody military crackdown on the country's pro-democracy movement in 1980 as a marketing catchphrase.
"This is corporate marketing, not misconduct committed by an individual," Kwon told reporters. "I stand by the position that (the company) should clearly come under criticism and face sanctions over the matter."
Asked whether the ministry plans to hold onto its agreement with Starbucks Korea to offer scholarships to descendants of independence fighters, a ministry official said it plans to review whether to continue the initiative in light of public sentiment and other factors, noting the scholarships had not yet been distributed this year.
